How crew marks items complete on run of show
When crew open their live link on the day of the event, each timeline item they're responsible for shows action buttons next to it. Tapping a button marks the item as in progress or done, and the planner sees it happen in real time. 1pm now lets you choose which buttons crew see, so the tracking model matches how you actually run your events.
This article covers the two button modes, the four combinations they make, when each one fits, and how the read-only mode works.
Where to find the setting
Open the event in the planner and click the pencil icon to open the event edit form. Scroll to the section labeled "Run of show buttons" near the bottom of the form.
You'll see two checkboxes:
Use Start / Finish. Granular timing: crew tap Start when an activity begins and Mark finished when it ends.
Use Done shortcut. A single Done button that marks the activity complete in one tap.
Both are on by default. Toggle either off (or both) to change what crew see. Save the event and the change applies to every crew member's live link within a few seconds.
The four combinations
The two toggles make four combinations. Each one gives crew a different way of marking items off.
Both on (the default). Crew see both a Done button (outlined) and a Start button (filled) side by side on every item they're responsible for. They can tap Done for a quick one-tap completion, or tap Start to enter the granular flow. After Start, the button switches to Mark finished plus an Undo. This is the most flexible mode and fits most events: crew who care about timing use Start and Mark finished, crew who don't can hit Done and move on.
Start/Finish only. Only the Start button shows. Crew tap Start when an activity begins, then Mark finished when it ends. This gives you exact start and end timestamps for every item, recorded against when the crew member actually tapped. Best for events where the timing matters: precise show-call running, theatrical productions, anything where the post-event report wants real elapsed time per cue.
Done only. Only the Done button shows. Crew tap Done once to mark the item complete. No separate Start and Finish; the timestamp recorded is the scheduled time of the item, not the moment the crew member tapped. Best for events where the schedule is the schedule and you just want a "yes this happened" confirmation without crew having to think about timing.
Both off. No buttons. Crew see the full run of show but can't mark anything off. This is read-only mode. Best for events where the run of show is reference material for crew, not a live tracking tool: small intimate events where everyone knows the schedule, dry-run rehearsals, or run sheets you're sharing with stakeholders who shouldn't be touching the buttons.
Picking the right mode
A few practical rules of thumb.
If you don't care, leave both on. The default works for everyone. The Done shortcut is there if crew don't want to think about Start; Start is there if they do.
If your event runs on precise timing and you want real elapsed-time data, turn off Done shortcut. That removes the shortcut and forces crew through Start, Mark finished. You'll get accurate start and end timestamps for every item, which is useful for post-event review (where did we lose time?) and for proving to a client that the show ran to schedule.
If you don't care about real-time durations and just want crew to tick things off as they happen, turn off Start/Finish. Crew get a single Done button per item, no decision-making about which to tap, faster to use during a busy event.
If you're sharing the run sheet with a non-crew audience (clients, stakeholders, internal teams), turn both off. The schedule is visible but no one can mark anything.
You can change the mode at any time, including during a live event. Crew see the new buttons within a few seconds without having to refresh.
What "Done" actually records
A quick technical note on what Done means under the hood, in case it matters to your reporting.
When crew tap Start and then Mark finished, the timestamps recorded are the actual moments the crew member tapped each button. A Start tapped at 14:03:22 and a Mark finished tapped at 14:18:47 records exactly that, regardless of what the scheduled time was. This is the granular data you want for "did we run to time?" reporting.
When crew tap the Done shortcut, the timestamps recorded are the scheduled start and end of the item, not the moment they tapped. This is intentional: the Done shortcut is for "yes this happened, on schedule" and shouldn't pretend to know exactly when. If you need real timestamps, use Start/Finish instead.
Either way the item shows as Done to the planner and to other crew on the same event.
Undo is always available
Whichever mode you've configured, if a crew member taps a button by mistake they can undo. After Start, an Undo button appears next to Mark finished; tapping it clears the start timestamp and the item goes back to "not started". After Mark finished or Done, an Undo button appears next to the Done badge; tapping it puts the item back into the running state.
This means crew can't lock themselves out of recovering from a mis-tap. It also means you don't have to be precious about which mode you pick; if you flip the mode mid-event, items already in flight keep their Mark finished and Undo so crew can wrap them up cleanly.
Pairing with crew responsibility
The action buttons only show on items the crew member is assigned to. A crew member with no items on a run sheet will see the schedule but no buttons against any row. This is independent of the Use Start/Finish and Use Done shortcut settings; the toggles only change what buttons render when a crew member is responsible for an item, not who sees buttons at all.
This pairing is important: in Both On mode, an event with twelve crew members and a timeline of forty items means each crew member only sees buttons next to their handful of items. The signal of "what do I need to do next?" stays loud even with a full timeline.
When you might use different modes on different events
Most planners pick a mode and stick with it. A few cases where it's worth varying:
A run-of-show rehearsal the day before the event. Set both toggles off so crew can walk through the schedule without accidentally marking anything off the real run.
A long-load-in day followed by the event itself. Use Start/Finish for the load-in (where exact timestamps matter for the warehouse log) and switch to Done-only or Both on once the actual event is running.
A small intimate event where the run sheet is more reference than a live tool. Done-only or Both off.
A high-stakes production where the post-event report needs real timing data. Start/Finish only.
The setting lives on the event, not on your account, so each event can be different without you having to remember to change a default.
